L'Instant X
Encyclopedia
"L'Instant X" is a 1995
song recorded by the French artist Mylène Farmer
. It was the second single
from her fourth album Anamorphosée
and was released on 12 December 1995. Directed by Marcus Nispel
in New York, the music video depicts with humour the apocalypse and shows Farmer bathing in the foam. The song became the biggest hit from the album, reaching number six in France, with a long chart trajectory. In January 2004, the song was the subject of a remix produced by One-T
and was released as promotional single.
's Christmas song "Petit Papa Noël
", as in the lyrics Farmer scans, in jerky syllabes, "Papa Noël, quand tu descendras du ciel...", which are also the lyrics of the chorus in Rossi's song.
For the first time throughout Farmer's career, all the remixes available on the various formats were not produced exclusively by Boutonnat's team: only two of them were made by Laurent Boutonnat
and Bertrand Châtenet, while the other two, more techno and dance, were produced by Ramon Zenker. The 'Have an Instant X remix' was considered by French author Julien Rigal "probably one of the best remixes" outside Boutonnat's ones. The second track on the CD single
is a jazz-oriented remixed version of "Alice", another song from the Anamorphosée
album. Unlike many of Farmer's singles, there is no instrumental version on the various formats. The image uses on the cover was perhaps influenced by Ross Hunter
's 1966 film Madame X
.
On 21 January 2004, the song was remixed by One-T
for the compilation RemixeS
. Devoted to discothèques, this version was released as 7" maxi, becoming the third single single from the RemixeS album, after "Sans contrefaçon
" and "Je t'aime mélancolie
". It was the more broadcast single from the album.
"". Journalist Benoît Cachin said that the lyrics evoke with humour and irony the 2000 year in which many people get lost in conjecture, but that Farmer sees as bringing much joy. He noted that in the lyrics, Farmer refers to group
U2
's rock
song "Sunday Bloody Sunday
" in the phrase "Bloody lundi", addressed to the Father Christmas
comparing him to the Messiah
in the refrain
, uses a quote from André Malraux
("le XXIè siècle sera spirituel ou ne sera pas"), cites the women's magazine Elle
, the River Styx
in the Greek mythology
, and the antidepressant
Prozac (but in verlan
). According to Rigal, the lyrics can have multiple meanings: they seem to address "the lack of latent spirituality through a concentration of bad elements", but they may also be "a pamphlet on women menstruation
". According to psychologist Hugues Royer, the song "talks about the state in which a person bogs down in the anticipation of the magic formula that will allow him to leave his torpor." He added that the song also contains some humor with such unexpected images as "J'ai un teint de poubelle" or "Mon chat qui s'défenestre".
", the video was directed by Marcus Nispel
who also wrote the screenplay. This Requiem Publishing production was film in Los Angeles
and New York
for three days — one for Farmer, the two others for the extras — and cost about 80,000 euros. In addition to the version broadcast on television, there was another video of "Instant X" that was the first editing which contains only Farmer's unpublished shots. The producer Anouk Nora explained: "We shot [the video] in February with -10 degrees [celsuis] in New York. Mylène was completely frozen and took a bath in foam as if she was under the Tropics
". Some video's photos were touched up by American rock group The Third Eye Foundation that used them on the cover of its album I Poo Poo on Your Juju. The small towel worn by Farmer was made by French fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier
. Farmer explained that she liked the idea of the foam pouring as it reminded her parties in Ibiza.
In this video, Farmer, heavy make-up and lying on a cloud, plays in the foam
. Under the cloud, the city of New York
, the Statue of Liberty
, the Twin Towers
and all the buildings are in turn covered with foam, as sign of the apocalypse. The singer, who is outside of the disaster, seems to delight of this situation. However, the video ends by showing survivors who go off into the sunset.
This video, which symbolizes the end of the world, premiered on television on 17 December 1995 in the French show Déjà le retour; the but in a different version in which only the singer appears. It was not much appreciated by the Farmer's fans and Rigal considered the video "disappointing". The foam in which Farmer rolls has been viewed as a symbol of the orgasm
, as it does in the French literature
, and more frequently as a major clean up before a new start. About the video, Farmer said: "I wanted to retrace one day we can have, where everything goes wrong. It is a concentration of events as soon as we get up... and everything goes wrong again! And we expect that time and it often happens that in a day or, or in a month, at a time when all things come to concentrate a bit like a puzzle, and this is when all this time redounds upwards rather than downwards".
) in which she announced her next tour, and on Déjà le retour (17 December, France 2). She lip-synched "L'Instant X" on two other programs: Le Bêtisier du samedi soir, (13 January 1996, France 2), and Top aux Carpentier (9 March 1996, TF1
). At this last occasion, Farmer shared a kiss on the mouth with her two female dancers during the musical bridge.
Regarding tours, "L'Instant X" was first performed on the 1996 Live à Bercy tour. The hall was fully in the dark when the song began, and only Farmer, who wore a flesh-colored pants, was then in the light. She performed a very suggestive choreography
with her female dancers, and moved throughout all the stage during the song. The song was also performed during the 2009 Mylène Farmer en tournée tour, only in the stadium venues, during the Black and White act. Farmer wore a white tutu and pinstripe trousers, the stage was fully dark with two lights on her, and the screens started showing "X's" and a countdown till she started singing. Susie Davis, who previously worked with Patti Smith
and Sinéad O'Connor
, participated in the background vocals of this live version.
album. The song ranked 67th on the 1996 year-end chart. According to Royer, the song "allowed the singer to reconnect with the success and to set the groundwork for a comeback on stage".
"L'Instant X" remained for 21 weeks on the Belgian Ultratop 40
Singles Chart and reached a peak of number 12 on 17 February and 30 March. The single was Farmer's second longest charting single in Belgium, behind "Slipping Away (Crier la vie)". It was the 49th best-selling single of 1996 in the country.
In 2004, the remixed version by One-T
was aired in Russia
.
and Sofia Essaïdi
, on 30 October 2003, in French show Star Academy France
, but this version was not released as a single
.
" released in Germany, and under the name of 'new mix' as bonus on the Japan release of the album).
The song seems inspired by Ovid
's Metamorphoses. "Alice" is the personification of a spider to which Farmer speaks directly in the chorus. According to journalist Benoît Cachin, this arachnid is in the song "the friend of a depressive artist", and Farmer explained in an interview that it represents "the self-destruction that prevents the artist to create". The song includes neologisms and the meaning is often difficult to understand. In the verses, Farmer is whispering.
The song has never been performed on television, but it was sung during the 1996 series of concerts at Bercy. Farmer was then seated on a giant metal spider that came down from heaven and slowly landed on the stage.
1995 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1995.- January–February :*January 18 – Jerry Garcia crashes his rented BMW into a guard rail near Mill Valley, California, USA, but is not injured in the accident....
song recorded by the French artist Mylène Farmer
Mylène Farmer
Mylène Farmer, , born Marie-Hélène Jeanne Gautier, , , is a French singer, songwriter, occasional actress and author....
. It was the second single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
from her fourth album Anamorphosée
Anamorphosée
Anamorphosée is the fourth studio album by Mylène Farmer, released on October 17, 1995. Led by the number-one single "XXL", the album was something of a departure from her previous work...
and was released on 12 December 1995. Directed by Marcus Nispel
Marcus Nispel
Marcus Nispel is a German–American feature film director and producer, and formerly a director of television commercials and music videos. Many of his films have been remakes, all of which have met with a negative critical reception....
in New York, the music video depicts with humour the apocalypse and shows Farmer bathing in the foam. The song became the biggest hit from the album, reaching number six in France, with a long chart trajectory. In January 2004, the song was the subject of a remix produced by One-T
One-T
One-T is a French electronic/hip-hop/house project. The group was introduced in the summer of 2001, as cartoon characters, similar to the Gorillaz...
and was released as promotional single.
Backgroung and writing
After the mixed success of her single "XXL" and the poor chart performances of the Anamorphosée album, Farmer decided to release a second single, "L'Instant X", for the Christmas period. The song's title comes from an expression of the first verse. The chorus covers in its own way Tino RossiTino Rossi
Tino Rossi was a singer and film actor.Born Constantino Rossi in Ajaccio, Corsica, France, he became a tenor of French cabaret and one of the great romantic idols of his time. Gifted with an operatic voice, a "Latin Lover" persona made him a movie star as well...
's Christmas song "Petit Papa Noël
Petit Papa Noël
"Petit Papa Noël" is a 1946 song recorded by French singer Tino Rossi. Written by Raymond Vincy and Henri Martinet, this Christmas song was originally performed by Rossi in Richard Pottier's film Destins. It is currently the best-selling single of all time in France, with over 5,711,000 units sold...
", as in the lyrics Farmer scans, in jerky syllabes, "Papa Noël, quand tu descendras du ciel...", which are also the lyrics of the chorus in Rossi's song.
For the first time throughout Farmer's career, all the remixes available on the various formats were not produced exclusively by Boutonnat's team: only two of them were made by Laurent Boutonnat
Laurent Boutonnat
Laurent Pierre Marie Boutonnat is a French composer and film and music video director, best known as the songwriting partner of Mylène Farmer and the director of moody, provocative and literature-inspired music videos.- Career :...
and Bertrand Châtenet, while the other two, more techno and dance, were produced by Ramon Zenker. The 'Have an Instant X remix' was considered by French author Julien Rigal "probably one of the best remixes" outside Boutonnat's ones. The second track on the CD single
CD single
A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s...
is a jazz-oriented remixed version of "Alice", another song from the Anamorphosée
Anamorphosée
Anamorphosée is the fourth studio album by Mylène Farmer, released on October 17, 1995. Led by the number-one single "XXL", the album was something of a departure from her previous work...
album. Unlike many of Farmer's singles, there is no instrumental version on the various formats. The image uses on the cover was perhaps influenced by Ross Hunter
Ross Hunter
Ross Hunter was a Hollywood film producer.-Biography:Hunter was born in Cleveland, Ohio as Martin Fuss. After serving in Army intelligence during World War II, he signed a movie contract with Columbia Pictures and acted in a number of B-movie musicals...
's 1966 film Madame X
Madame X (1966 film)
Madame X is a 1966 drama film directed by David Lowell Rich and starring Lana Turner.-Plot:A lower class woman, Holly Parker , marries into the rich Anderson family. Her husband's mother looks down on her and keeps a watchful eye on her activities...
.
On 21 January 2004, the song was remixed by One-T
One-T
One-T is a French electronic/hip-hop/house project. The group was introduced in the summer of 2001, as cartoon characters, similar to the Gorillaz...
for the compilation RemixeS
RemixeS
RemixeS is a compilation of French singer Mylène Farmer's singles by various famous DJ's, including JXL, Felix Da Housecat and Paul Oakenfold.-Brackground, writing and release:...
. Devoted to discothèques, this version was released as 7" maxi, becoming the third single single from the RemixeS album, after "Sans contrefaçon
Sans contrefaçon
"Sans contrefaçon" is a 1987 song recorded by French artist Mylène Farmer. It was released on 16 October 1987 as the first single from her second studio album, Ainsi soit je.... It was a big hit in 1987 and is one of her three best-selling singles. It became a very popular song in France over the...
" and "Je t'aime mélancolie
Je t'aime mélancolie
"Je t'aime mélancolie" is a 1991 song recorded by the French artist Mylène Farmer. Third single from her third studio album L'Autre..., the song was released in December 1991...
". It was the more broadcast single from the album.
Lyrics and music
As noted by author Erwan Chuberre, "L'Instant X" is different from Farmer's other songs because the singer uses a deeper voice than usual, and lyrics deal about things of everyday life, not romantic literary references. Journalist Caroline Bee stated it is a "rock song that recalls in its construction and its cynicism "Je t'aime mélancolieJe t'aime mélancolie
"Je t'aime mélancolie" is a 1991 song recorded by the French artist Mylène Farmer. Third single from her third studio album L'Autre..., the song was released in December 1991...
"". Journalist Benoît Cachin said that the lyrics evoke with humour and irony the 2000 year in which many people get lost in conjecture, but that Farmer sees as bringing much joy. He noted that in the lyrics, Farmer refers to group
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
's rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
song "Sunday Bloody Sunday
Sunday Bloody Sunday
"Sunday Bloody Sunday" is a song by U2.It may also refer to:*Sunday Bloody Sunday , a 1971 film*"Sunday, Bloody Sunday"...
" in the phrase "Bloody lundi", addressed to the Father Christmas
Father Christmas
Father Christmas is the name used in many English-speaking countries for a figure associated with Christmas. A similar figure with the same name exists in several other countries, including France , Spain , Brazil , Portugal , Italy , Armenia , India...
comparing him to the Messiah
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
in the refrain
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
, uses a quote from André Malraux
André Malraux
André Malraux DSO was a French adventurer, award-winning author, and statesman. Having traveled extensively in Indochina and China, Malraux was noted especially for his novel entitled La Condition Humaine , which won the Prix Goncourt...
("le XXIè siècle sera spirituel ou ne sera pas"), cites the women's magazine Elle
Elle (magazine)
Elle is a worldwide magazine of French origin that focuses on women's fashion, beauty, health, and entertainment. Elle is also the world's largest fashion magazine. It was founded by Pierre Lazareff and his wife Hélène Gordon in 1945. The title, in French, means "she".-History:Elle was founded in...
, the River Styx
Styx
In Greek mythology the Styx is the river that forms the boundary between the underworld and the world of the living, as well as a goddess and a nymph that represents the river.Styx may also refer to:-Popular culture:...
in the Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
, and the antidepressant
Antidepressant
An antidepressant is a psychiatric medication used to alleviate mood disorders, such as major depression and dysthymia and anxiety disorders such as social anxiety disorder. According to Gelder, Mayou &*Geddes people with a depressive illness will experience a therapeutic effect to their mood;...
Prozac (but in verlan
Verlan
Verlan is an argot in the French language, featuring inversion of syllables in a word, and is common in slang and youth language. It rests on a long French tradition of transposing syllables of individual words to create slang words...
). According to Rigal, the lyrics can have multiple meanings: they seem to address "the lack of latent spirituality through a concentration of bad elements", but they may also be "a pamphlet on women menstruation
Menstruation
Menstruation is the shedding of the uterine lining . It occurs on a regular basis in sexually reproductive-age females of certain mammal species. This article focuses on human menstruation.-Overview:...
". According to psychologist Hugues Royer, the song "talks about the state in which a person bogs down in the anticipation of the magic formula that will allow him to leave his torpor." He added that the song also contains some humor with such unexpected images as "J'ai un teint de poubelle" or "Mon chat qui s'défenestre".
Music video
As "XXLXXL (Mylène Farmer song)
"XXL" is a 1995 song recorded by French singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer. The song was the lead single from her fourth studio album Anamorphosée and was released on 19 September 1995. It marked an important change in the singer's career, with more rock sonorities, easier lyrics to understand and a...
", the video was directed by Marcus Nispel
Marcus Nispel
Marcus Nispel is a German–American feature film director and producer, and formerly a director of television commercials and music videos. Many of his films have been remakes, all of which have met with a negative critical reception....
who also wrote the screenplay. This Requiem Publishing production was film in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
for three days — one for Farmer, the two others for the extras — and cost about 80,000 euros. In addition to the version broadcast on television, there was another video of "Instant X" that was the first editing which contains only Farmer's unpublished shots. The producer Anouk Nora explained: "We shot [the video] in February with -10 degrees [celsuis] in New York. Mylène was completely frozen and took a bath in foam as if she was under the Tropics
Tropics
The tropics is a region of the Earth surrounding the Equator. It is limited in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere at S; these latitudes correspond to the axial tilt of the Earth...
". Some video's photos were touched up by American rock group The Third Eye Foundation that used them on the cover of its album I Poo Poo on Your Juju. The small towel worn by Farmer was made by French fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier
Jean-Paul Gaultier
Jean Paul Gaultier , born 24 April 1952 in Arcueil, Val-de-Marne, France) is a French haute couture fashion designer. Gaultier was the creative director of Hermès from 2003 to 2010. In the past, he has hosted the television series Eurotrash....
. Farmer explained that she liked the idea of the foam pouring as it reminded her parties in Ibiza.
In this video, Farmer, heavy make-up and lying on a cloud, plays in the foam
Foam
-Definition:A foam is a substance that is formed by trapping gas in a liquid or solid in a divided form, i.e. by forming gas regions inside liquid regions, leading to different kinds of dispersed media...
. Under the cloud, the city of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, the Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
, the Twin Towers
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
and all the buildings are in turn covered with foam, as sign of the apocalypse. The singer, who is outside of the disaster, seems to delight of this situation. However, the video ends by showing survivors who go off into the sunset.
This video, which symbolizes the end of the world, premiered on television on 17 December 1995 in the French show Déjà le retour; the but in a different version in which only the singer appears. It was not much appreciated by the Farmer's fans and Rigal considered the video "disappointing". The foam in which Farmer rolls has been viewed as a symbol of the orgasm
Orgasm
Orgasm is the peak of the plateau phase of the sexual response cycle, characterized by an intense sensation of pleasure...
, as it does in the French literature
French literature
French literature is, generally speaking, literature written in the French language, particularly by citizens of France; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional languages of France other than French. Literature written in French language, by citizens...
, and more frequently as a major clean up before a new start. About the video, Farmer said: "I wanted to retrace one day we can have, where everything goes wrong. It is a concentration of events as soon as we get up... and everything goes wrong again! And we expect that time and it often happens that in a day or, or in a month, at a time when all things come to concentrate a bit like a puzzle, and this is when all this time redounds upwards rather than downwards".
Live performances
In late 1995, Farmer featured in two television shows to promote the song without singing; she was only interviewed on Studio Gabriel (14 December, France 2France 2
France 2 is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4, France 5 and France Ô...
) in which she announced her next tour, and on Déjà le retour (17 December, France 2). She lip-synched "L'Instant X" on two other programs: Le Bêtisier du samedi soir, (13 January 1996, France 2), and Top aux Carpentier (9 March 1996, TF1
TF1
TF1 is a national French TV channel, controlled by TF1 Group, whose major share-holder is Bouygues. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network...
). At this last occasion, Farmer shared a kiss on the mouth with her two female dancers during the musical bridge.
Regarding tours, "L'Instant X" was first performed on the 1996 Live à Bercy tour. The hall was fully in the dark when the song began, and only Farmer, who wore a flesh-colored pants, was then in the light. She performed a very suggestive choreography
Choreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
with her female dancers, and moved throughout all the stage during the song. The song was also performed during the 2009 Mylène Farmer en tournée tour, only in the stadium venues, during the Black and White act. Farmer wore a white tutu and pinstripe trousers, the stage was fully dark with two lights on her, and the screens started showing "X's" and a countdown till she started singing. Susie Davis, who previously worked with Patti Smith
Patti Smith
Patricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....
and Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
, participated in the background vocals of this live version.
Chart performances
In France, "L'Instant X" debuted at number nine on 16 December 1995, and dropped the next three weeks. It reached again the top ten and peaked at number six on 20 January, and remained for eight weeks in the top ten and 20 weeks in the top 50. The single was the best-selling single, with the longest chart trajectory, from the AnamorphoséeAnamorphosée
Anamorphosée is the fourth studio album by Mylène Farmer, released on October 17, 1995. Led by the number-one single "XXL", the album was something of a departure from her previous work...
album. The song ranked 67th on the 1996 year-end chart. According to Royer, the song "allowed the singer to reconnect with the success and to set the groundwork for a comeback on stage".
"L'Instant X" remained for 21 weeks on the Belgian Ultratop 40
Ultratop 40
Ultratop 40 singles, often just Ultratop 40, is the weekly chart of best-selling singles in Wallonia and Brussels Capital Region, the french-speaking parts of Belgium. Its equivalent covering the Flanders region is Ultratop 50. Both charts are produced and published by the Ultratop organization...
Singles Chart and reached a peak of number 12 on 17 February and 30 March. The single was Farmer's second longest charting single in Belgium, behind "Slipping Away (Crier la vie)". It was the 49th best-selling single of 1996 in the country.
In 2004, the remixed version by One-T
One-T
One-T is a French electronic/hip-hop/house project. The group was introduced in the summer of 2001, as cartoon characters, similar to the Gorillaz...
was aired in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
Cover versions
The song was covered by Michał KwiatkowskiMichal (singer)
Michał Kwiatkowski is a Polish singer. In France, he is better known as Michal.Kwiatkowski was born and raised in Gorzów Wielkopolski. In 2001, Michał won a Polish karaoke show Szansa na sukces . After this success, he left Poland and started his studies in France...
and Sofia Essaïdi
Sofia Essaïdi
Sofia Essaïdi is a Moroccan singer. She was born in Casablanca, Morocco. She has a Moroccan father and a French mother.-Career:...
, on 30 October 2003, in French show Star Academy France
Star Academy France
Star Academy was a French reality television show produced by the Dutch company Endemol, based on the Spanish format called Operación Triunfo. It consists of a contest of young singers. It spawned an equally successful show in Quebec called Star Académie. It was broadcast on TF1...
, but this version was not released as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
.
B-side: "Alice"
The B-side of the CD single is a remixed version of another track of the album, "Alice" (this version appears as third track on the promotional CD maxi of "Comme j'ai malComme j'ai mal
"Comme j'ai mal" is a 1995 song recorded by French singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer. Fourth single from her fourth album Anamorphosée, it was released on 1 July 1996...
" released in Germany, and under the name of 'new mix' as bonus on the Japan release of the album).
The song seems inspired by Ovid
Ovid
Publius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...
's Metamorphoses. "Alice" is the personification of a spider to which Farmer speaks directly in the chorus. According to journalist Benoît Cachin, this arachnid is in the song "the friend of a depressive artist", and Farmer explained in an interview that it represents "the self-destruction that prevents the artist to create". The song includes neologisms and the meaning is often difficult to understand. In the verses, Farmer is whispering.
The song has never been performed on television, but it was sung during the 1996 series of concerts at Bercy. Farmer was then seated on a giant metal spider that came down from heaven and slowly landed on the stage.
Formats and track listings
These are the formats and track listings of single releases of "L'Instant X":- CD single
- CD maxi
- 12" maxi
- CD single - Promo
- VHS - Promo
- 7" single / 7" maxi / 7" single - Promo
Official versions
| Version | Length | Album | Remixed by | Year | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "L'Instant X" | |||||
| Album version | 4:45 | Anamorphosée Anamorphosée Anamorphosée is the fourth studio album by Mylène Farmer, released on October 17, 1995. Led by the number-one single "XXL", the album was something of a departure from her previous work... |
— | 1995 | See the previous sections |
| Single version | 4:10 | — | Laurent Boutonnat Laurent Boutonnat Laurent Pierre Marie Boutonnat is a French composer and film and music video director, best known as the songwriting partner of Mylène Farmer and the director of moody, provocative and literature-inspired music videos.- Career :... |
1995 | This version is shorter than the album one, with a fade-out Fade (audio engineering) In audio engineering, a fade is a gradual increase or decrease in the level of an audio signal. The term can also be used for film cinematography or theater lighting, in much the same way .... end. |
| Santa's hard re-x-mix | 6:00 | — | Laurent Boutonnat | 1995 | Laughs can be heard at the beginning of the song, the bell sounds were deleted, and only chorus and the first verse are retained in this version. |
| Ramon Zenker groove trop re-mix | 5:26 | — | Ramon Zenker | 1995 | This is an electronic Electronic music Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound... version which contains all the lyrics. |
| Ramon Zenker club dub re-mix | 5:39 | — | Ramon Zenker | 1995 | This is a dance version which contains only "C'est l'instant X" and "Papa" as lyrics. |
| Have an Instant X mix | 7:05 | — | Laurent Boutonnat | 1995 | This is the more dance Dance Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting.... remix of the song which contains many laughs and bell sounds. |
| Music video | 5:18 | Music Videos II Music Videos II Music Videos II is a VHS recorded by the French singer Mylène Farmer, containing all the singer's videoclips from 1992 to 1996. It was released in April 1997 in France.... , Music Videos II & III Music Videos II & III Music Video II & III is a DVD recorded by the French singer Mylène Farmer, containing all the singer's videoclips from 1992 to 2000. It was released in March 2001 in France.... |
— | 1995 | |
| Live version (recorded in 1996) |
9:36 (CD, video) 4:54 (cassette) |
Live à Bercy Live à Bercy Live à Bercy is the second live album by Mylène Farmer, released on May 21, 1997. It was also produced as a video.-Background:After the successful concerts tour of 1996, whose shows were spread out from May 25 to December 15, a live album was recorded and produced by Thierry Suc, and sponsored by... |
— | 1996 | See 1996 Tour |
| Album version | 4:45 | Les Mots | Laurent Boutonnat | 2001 | The last guitar Guitar The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... riff RIFF The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data.... is deleted. |
| The X key mix | 3:43 | RemixeS RemixeS RemixeS is a compilation of French singer Mylène Farmer's singles by various famous DJ's, including JXL, Felix Da Housecat and Paul Oakenfold.-Brackground, writing and release:... |
One-T One-T One-T is a French electronic/hip-hop/house project. The group was introduced in the summer of 2001, as cartoon characters, similar to the Gorillaz... |
2003 | This version adds different noises, including the sound of a revolver Revolver A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson... when Farmer is singing "Humeur killer". |
| "Alice" | |||||
| Album version | 5:20 | Anamorphosée Anamorphosée Anamorphosée is the fourth studio album by Mylène Farmer, released on October 17, 1995. Led by the number-one single "XXL", the album was something of a departure from her previous work... |
— | 1995 | See the previous section |
| Arachnostring version / New mix | 5:20 | — | Laurent Boutonnat | 1996 | Some scrachings are added and Farmer's voice ends in fade in. |
| Live version (recorded in 1996) |
5:25 | Live à Bercy Live à Bercy Live à Bercy is the second live album by Mylène Farmer, released on May 21, 1997. It was also produced as a video.-Background:After the successful concerts tour of 1996, whose shows were spread out from May 25 to December 15, a live album was recorded and produced by Thierry Suc, and sponsored by... |
— | 1996 | This version is almost identical to the album one. |
Credits and personnel
These are the credits and the personnel as they appear on the back of the single:- Mylène Farmer – lyrics
- Laurent Boutonnat – music
- Requiem Publishing – editions
- Polydor – recording company
- Herb Ritts – photo
- Com'N.B – design
Peak positions
| Chart (1995/96) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart Ultratop 40 Ultratop 40 singles, often just Ultratop 40, is the weekly chart of best-selling singles in Wallonia and Brussels Capital Region, the french-speaking parts of Belgium. Its equivalent covering the Flanders region is Ultratop 50. Both charts are produced and published by the Ultratop organization... |
12 |
| French SNEP Singles Chart | 6 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1996) | Position |
|---|---|
| Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart | 49 |
| French Singles Chart | 67 |
Sales
| Country | Certification | Physical sales |
|---|---|---|
| France | Should be Silver | 200,000 - 220,000 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| France, Belgium, Switzerland | November 1995 | Promo CD single |
| 12 December 1995 | CD single, CD maxi, 12" maxi | |
| 21 January 2004 | 7" single | |